Possibility of Rotating Outages This Evening & Tomorrow Morning
The Texas electric grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), is asking consumers to reduce energy consumption during peak-demand times this evening -- 6-10 pm – and tomorrow morning from 6 – 8 am.
The grid continues to have more than 5,000 megawatts (MW) of generation out of service due to the effect of the extreme cold.
Tonight’s peak demand is forecast to hit 54,900 MW between 7 & 8 pm. The morning peak was 53,223 MW – with 4,000 MW dropped via rotating outages -- at 9-10 am.
At this time, the forecast for tomorrow’s peak load is 56,800 MW for 7-8 am.
ERCOT’s current record for all time winter peak demand is 55,878 MW, which occurred on Jan. 8, 2010.
Rotating outages are controlled, temporary interruptions of electrical service initiated by each utility when supplies of reserve power are exhausted. Without this safety valve, generators would overload and begin shutting down to avoid damage, risking a domino effect of a state-wide outage.
Utilities/transmission providers determine the location/scheduling of the rotating outages.
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